Name: Lyst

Race: Human (Catalyst)

Age: 8

Title: None (Catalyst)

Statistics:

STR: 34/100 (500)

AGI: 37/100 (500)

END: 35/100 (500)

FOR: 51/100 (500)

MEN: 89/100 (500)

MAG: 30/100 (500)

Classes:

Fighter: 7

Crafter: 10

Leatherworker: 5

Carpenter: 4

Tamer: 5

Butcher: 8

Forager: 8

Healer: 5

(Catalyst): (ERROR)

Skills:

Spears: 8

Daggers: 9

Staves: 5

Axes: 4

Critical: 10

Crafting: 10

Domestication: 3

Tactics: 7

Gathering: 10

Harvesting: 6

Agriculture: 5

Poison Resist: 3

Pain Resist: 6

Meditation: 10

Medicine: 5

Alchemy: 2

Survival: 10

(Creator): (ERROR)

(Editor): (ERROR)

(Reincarnate): (ERROR)

(Unlimited): (ERROR)

Name: Anna

Race: Lupinite

Age: 8

Title: None

Statistics:

STR: 31/100

AGI: 53/100

END: 58/100

FOR: 55/100

MEN: 32/100

MAG: 15/100

Classes:

Tamer: 5 (Linked)

Fighter: 8

Forager: 8

Mage: 1

Crafter: 5

Skills:

Unarmed: 9

Daggers: 6

Critical: 9

Animal Senses: 10

Tactics: 7

Gathering: 8

Harvesting: 4

Crafting: 3

Domestication: 2

Pain Resist: 6

Poison Resist: 4

Survival: 10

Name: Clara

Race: Lupinite

Age: 8

Title: None

Statistics:

STR: 31/100

AGI: 53/100

END: 58/100

FOR: 55/100

MEN: 32/100

MAG: 15/100

Classes:

Tamer: 5 (Linked)

Fighter: 9

Forager: 8

Mage: 1

Skills:

Unarmed: 9

Daggers: 8

Spears: 7

Axes: 3

Staves: 4

Critical: 9

Animal Senses: 10

Tactics: 7

Gathering: 8

Harvesting: 6

Domestication: 2

Pain Resist: 6

Poison Resist: 4

Survival: 10

We had built a home here at the mountain lake, which we had come to call Lake Manalight. There was a small house, consisting of four rooms and a cellar, that I had painstakingly put together over the first summer so that we might be sheltered by winter. A few fields that I'd planted nearby grew several types of vegetables, that when supplemented with some wild foraging and game made up our diets. We had also domesticated a small number of wild sheep and a couple boars. Everyday was a lot of work, since our survival was on the line.

"Ouch," Anna said, shaking her finger a moment before jamming it in her mouth.

"I keep telling you to not be so forceful," I chided.

Anna had taken up assisting me in crafting things that we needed. She had developed a fondness for tailoring specifically, so now she handled most of our clothing needs. They weren't really the best, but none of us really cared that much. She tended to try and speed through her work, which just ended up with her repeatedly jabbing herself with the needle.

Clara, on the other hand, focused more on her combat skills. Though for the most part her numbers were still lower than mine, she would beat me in most of the sparring sessions she would drag me into. I guess better numbers didn't necessarily mean better performance.

Both girls had been learning a lot from me, which most notably came through their speech. They now spoke clearly and were more understandable. But there were other things that they were still naive about that to me were somehow second nature.

Clara rolled over onto her back where she was laying on the floor, giving a backwards glance towards her sister.

"Yeah. You'll end up really hurt and Lyst will give you medicine."

I had only given them something for the time we had all eaten some undercooked meat that had caused… issues, to say the least. The two had since been cautious about a lot of things that could involve injury or pain. Admittedly, what I'd made wasn't pleasant to the palet, but it solved the issue.

Anna visibly cringed at the thought and slowed down.

"It wasn't that bad," I lied.

"Yes it was! You just can't taste as well as us," Anna replied, "I never want to eat that again."

"If you hadn't eaten it and just swallowed it instead, it would've been over faster," I laughed.

Both girls grumbled and were about to say more when there was a crash outside. We all stopped and reached for our nearest weapon, always kept close at hand.

"No movement," Clara whispered, ears twitching to pick up any sounds.

Anna and I crept over to a window while Clara took up position near the front door. I pulled the flap back a smidgen and peered out.

Outside was dark of course, but the moonlight tonight was plentiful enough that I could make out a lot of stuff. It seemed like a tree had fallen nearby.

"Just a tree that fell," I said, relaxing.

"There aren't any trees close to the house, Lyst," Clara whispered, clenching her weapon tighter.

She whipped open the door and dashed out, with Anna darting after her. Left with little choice, I followed them.

There was a tree, just like I had said. Taking it in, it must have been about six meters tall were it still standing. Strangely, it had no leaves on it despite the season. It was then that I started noticing the differences.

The base of of the trunk split in two, giving the impression of legs. Two branches stuck out from the trunk, considerably lower than the others, and ended in a few nimble looking twigs.

"Treant?" I murmured.

The tree's 'fingers' twitched and a large egg-shaped thing rolled a short way from it. None of us dared get closer to the treant to inspect the egg, keeping our attention on it instead.

The treant let out a woody, grumbling sound that echoed through the area. Light encompassed the treant, then rose out and shot into the egg-thing. I relaxed.

"It's dead," I said, approaching closer to the egg.

"Wait!" Clara reached for me, trying to hold me back, but missed.

I picked up the 'egg,' which instead of smooth was rough as though covered in bark. Perhaps it was more like a pinecone then, as it made sense that it was a seed. It was about the size of a basketball and the light that had entered the seed was gone, but there was an unexpected warmth to it.

I glanced at the dead treant, noting its withered state. It had been sick, and was clearly moving towards the lake. Perhaps to deliver the seed?

I finished the trek to the lake for the treant. With all my strength, I threw the seed like a shot put, sending it sailing towards the center of the lake. With a 'sploop' it landed and sunk.

"So what will that do?" Anna asked.

"Not sure," I answered, "I guess a new treant grows from it and will join the forest."

"We can use the wood left behind for ourselves," Clara mentioned, nudging the dead treant.

"Tomorrow. Let's get some sleep tonight."

We returned inside, unaware of what awaited us in the morning.

"Wow," I said, staring at the sight revealed in the morning light.